A woman paralysed from the neck down has died peacefully in her sleep after
winning the legal right to have medical treatment withdrawn.

The Department of Health announced on Monday that the woman, known as Miss B, "has chosen to
have all artificial ventilation which she is receiving as part of her medical
treatment withdrawn".

The statement continued: "She has died peacefully in her sleep after being taken off the ventilator at
her request."

She is clearly a splendid person and it is tragic that someone of her
ability has been struck down so cruelly

Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss

Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, President of the High Court family division,
ruled last month that Miss B had the "necessary mental capacity to give consent
or to refuse consent to life-sustaining medical treatment".

It was the 43-year-old former social care professional's case that it was her
decision, not her doctors', whether the ventilator which kept her alive should
be switched off.

In a landmark ruling, Dame Elizabeth gave Miss B the right to be transferred
to another hospital and be treated in accordance with her wishes, including drug
treatment and care to "ease her suffering and permit her life to end peacefully
and with dignity".

'Great courage'

Dame Elizabeth, who met Miss B at her bedside in a London hospital, said of
the patient: "I would like to add how impressed I am with her as a person, with
the great courage, strength of will and determination she has shown in the last
year, with her sense of humour, and her understanding of the dilemma she has
posed to the hospital.

"She is clearly a splendid person and it is tragic that someone of her
ability has been struck down so cruelly.

"I hope she will forgive me for saying, diffidently, that if she did
reconsider her decision, she would have a lot to offer the community at
large."

Dame Elizabeth added in her ruling: "Administration of ventilation by artificial means against the claimant's wishes since 8 August, 2001, has been an unlawful trespass."

She awarded Miss B a nominal £100 damages for the unlawful trespass.

The judge also ordered that the woman, her doctors, and the hospital involved, could not be named.